Carboy handling apparatus



NOV. 20, 1945. LER 2,389,482

CARBOY HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MKQO/V 490K455 Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARBOY HANDLING APPARATUS Myron Bixler, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application September 2, 1944; Serial No. 552,551

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to handling apparatus and more particularly to the picking up, transporting and tilting of encased carboys.

Handling apparatus for carboys as heretofore in use necessitates lifting the carboys onto a truck or other wheeled vehicle and by reason of the bulky nature and heavy weight, this is not only difficult to accomplish, but introduces a hazard which often results in damage to the carboy or injury to the user. Furthermore, conventional carboy handling equipment has no provision'for safe tilting of the carboy to discharge its contents, nor does it have such flexibility as will accommodate different sized carboys.

Some of the objects of the present invention are: to provide animproved support for encased carboys; to provide means for mounting an encased carboy upon a movable support as a complete unitary stable assembly; to provide a novel carboy attachment serving as a means for mounting the carboy upon a truck or other movable support whereby lifting of the carboy is unnecessary; to provide an adjustable mounting means capable of association with carboys of different size; to provide a novel carboy mounting means including provision for tilting the carboy in a safe and efficient manner; to provide a clamp for encased carboys so constructed and arranged that the carboy can be quickly mounted in the frame without lifting and rigidly held therein; to provide adjustabletrunnion mountings in association with a carboy clamp for facilitating tilting of the carboy; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a carboy having one form of clamp attached thereto ready for mounting upon a truck, the frame and truck embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 represents a plan of the same; Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail of the clamp lock and trunnion control; Fig. 5 represents an enlarged detail in plan of the parts shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 represents a perspective of the assembled carboy and clamp mounted upon one form of movable support; Fig. '7 represents a detail in plan of a means for interlocking the frame .and truck to prevent improper tilting of the carboy; Fig. 8 represents a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. '7; Fig. 9 represents a plan of the sill member of the clamp; and Fig. 10 represents a side elevation of the sill member showing the means for attaching the side members thereto.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention is shown for use with a carboy encased in the usual enclosing box II! with the carboy neck ll protruding through the customary hole [2 in the top l3 of the box. Also, the

sides of the box 0 are provided with transversely disposed strips -l4 forming hand grips for lifting th box when necessary, while the bottom of the provided formed by a bottom bar l1, two side standards l8, and an apertured head plate 20.

Preferably, this clamp is collapsible by forming the ends of the bottom bar I! with apertured forks 2| respectively to receive respectively apertured tongues 22 upon the respective lower ends of the standards 18. Pintles 23 are preferably attached by chains, cords, or like flexible means 24 to the respective standards 18, at a location convenient for insertion of the pintles 23 through the interfitting apertured parts, thus serving as hinges for the respective side standards H3. The chains 24 prevent the pintles 23 from being displaced or lost. The upper ends of the standards l8 terminate above the top of the box 16, and each is provided with a lug 25 having a row of downwardly disposed hooks 26 juxtaposed with respect to the side of the box adjacent thereto For locking the clamp about the box 10, the head plate 20 is provided at each end with a lever latch 21 pivoted at 28 and, in the present instance, having a slot 30 arranged to be engaged by one of the hooks on the lug 25. When the two latches 21 are so engaged, the tail 3| of each is pressed'down toward the head plate 20 placing the standards I8 under tension and is then locked by swinging loop detents 32 into holding relation with the latch tails 3|. The detents 32 are pivoted at the proper location upon the head plate 2!) for the purpose intended. When the parts are so locked, the head plate 20 bears upon the top of the box In through themedium of a cushioning gasket 33, which encircles the neck H of the carboy.

In order to support the clamp with its mount ed carboy, each standard 18 has a bracket 34 fixed thereto and extending laterally outward to form an end bearing for a threaded rod 35, the upper end of which has a bearing in the outwardly disposed end 36 of its standard l8. Motion is transmitted to the respective rods 35 by manually operated crank arms 31. Each rod 35 has a bushing 38 internally threaded thereon and from which latter an arcuate trunnion 40 projects laterally to form a journalled support when seated in the arcuate seat 4| of the movable support. The opposite side of each bushing 38 is provided with a rectangular retainer 42 arranged for sliding movement in the ways formed by two spaced guides 43 attached to each side of the box I0. Thus, by turning the crank arms 37, the threaded rods 35 will feed the bushings 38 lengthwise of .the rods 35 and therebyvary the vertical positionstof the two.trunnions 40. The movable support, in this instance, is in the form of a wheeled truck, formed by a U-shaped. base 44, and two skeleton frames, each formed by two bars 45 converging to the top of athird vertical bar 46 to form a common support for the aforesaid trunnion seat 4|.

For the purpose of preventing :improperswing of the mounted carboy, each bracket 34 is pro--.

vided with a hinged bifurcated catch 48"having' ahorizontal axis, and the bifurcation having a width to snugly straddle the rod 38; Thus, when the trunnions are'seated inthe seats on the truck frames, the catch 48 can be swung from its inoperative position resting upon thebracket 34 to its operative position straddling the rod 38 to thereby hold the carboy and its clamp against movement about the trunnions as an axis.

In assembly and operation, one of the pintles 23 is removed to release one standard Hi from the bar whereupon the bar |1 can be inserted into the space fi'beneath the box Ill, after which the standard I8 is replaced and attached'by the pintle 23. The two standards l8 now parallel the sides of the box in close proximity thereto, and the head plate lowered overtheprotruding carboy neck to seat upon the cushioning gasket 33. The two latches 21 are now swung'so that each engages under one of the hooks 25 in the adjacent series of hooks. The tails 3| of the latches are now swung downwardly to create the necessary locking pressure and are then fixed by bringing the detents 32 into holding position. The clamp isnow firmly attached to the carboy boxand the truck can now be pushed into place with its side base parts straddling the box and its trunnion seats respectively below the trunnions 40. When thus properly located, the crank arms 31 are rotated in the direction to lower the trunnions 48 into the seats 4| and elevate the box l0 suificientlyto be conveyed by the truck. By prov-idinga pluralityof the hooks 26 arranged vertically,I the clamp becomes automatically adjustableforcarboys of different height and what ever'ithisvariation may begthe trunnions40 can bemoved vertically into and out of seating engagementfwith the seats 4| of the truck.

Having thus describedrmy'invention, I claim: 1. A-clamp for acarboy box of the type having spaced'supports on the bottom thereof for respectively' engaging; sustaining surfaces, comprising a base dimensionedto pass under the box between the supports without necessarily tilting or raising the box relative to such sustaining surfaces, standards attached respectively to the ends of said base, one of said standards at least being detachable, hook means on each standard, a head plate across the top of the box, latch levers respectively pivoted to said head for engaging said hook means, and means for locking said latch levers in holding engagement with said hookmeans.

2. A clamp for acarboybox of the type-having spaced supports on the bottom thereof comprising a base dimensioned to pass under the box between the supports, standards attached respec- -tively-to theends of said base, one of said standrodscarried by the respective standards, bushings threaded respectively on said rods, trunnions respectively attached to said bushings, and means to. operate said rods to raise and lower said trunnions.

3. In combination, a carboy-box having downwardly extending spaced sills on the bottom thereofi'aclamp comprising a base arranged to pass beneath the box and between said sills, and sides I hinged thereto, a head'plate across the top-of the andplate box, and means coacting with said sides to anchor said clamp about said box.

4. In combination, a carboy box, a clamp; means for clamping said clamp aboutsaid box,

a'truck having elevated seats, trunnions carried by said clamp and positioned respectivelyabove" said truck seats when in position for mounting, and means on said clamp for moving said trun nions into and out of engagement with said seats."

5. In combination,. a carboy box, a clamp,

means for clamping said clamp about said box," a truck comprising a U-shaped'base, to straddle said box, and skeleton side frames, each side frame having a trunnion seat, trunnions' carried by said clamp and positioned respectively for vertical alinment with said seats when said truck is in straddled position, and means .on said clamp,-

for moving said trunnions into and.out1 of engagement with said seats.

6. In combination, a carboy box, a clamp,

means for clamping said clamp about said box, a

truck comprising a U-sha'ped base, to straddle saidubox, and skeleton side frames, each side. frame havingv a trunnion seat, trunnionscarried by said clamp and positioned respectively for vertical alinement with said seats when. saidtruck is in straddled position, means on said clamp for.

moving said trunnions into and out of engagement with said seats, and catches upon at least one of said standards for engaging. said truck.- framesto prevent swinging of said boxwhen sup ported by said truck.

MYRON BIXLER. 

